Arkansas Tech Performs at Subiaco AbbeyMembers of the Arkansas Tech University Brass Choir and Trombone Choir performed at the St. Benedict Church at Subiaco Abbey on Tuesday, March 12. Dr. Gary Barrow is conductor for the University Brass Choir, while the Trombone Choir is conducted by Dr. Sean Reed. “The acoustics at Subiaco are unique and provide opportunities for brass instruments to sound quite different than in any other setting found in this part of the country,” said Barrow...

Henry Ford Band wins Tech's Got Talent competitionHenry Ford Band was selected as the winner of the 2013 Tech's Got Talent competition at Arkansas Tech University on Wednesday, March 13. Competing as part of a field of six finalists, band members Jordan Cole of Fort Smith (left), Meagan Klomfas of Van Buren (middle) and Thomas Meares of Fort Smith (right) won the top prize of $350. The competition was sponsored by the Arkansas Tech Student Activities Board.

Making a difference — University of the Ozarks faculty make an impactEditor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series of stories that focuses on people who are making a difference in education in the River Valley. CLARKSVILLE — As the oldest institution of higher education in Arkansas, University of the Ozarks has a long and proud tradition of providing a Christian-based undergraduate education. Now in its 179th year, U of O has been widely recognized as one of the premier private universities in the country. I...

Local 5th-grader doing his part to combat childhood obesityCitizens around the nation have begun campaigns to increase awareness for living a healthier lifestyle, but one passionate local 11-year-old has coordinated a series of programs here in Russellville to help reduce childhood obesity. Bodhi Lovely, a student at UE5G, spoke at Thursday's City Council meeting about three of his initiatives to stop childhood obesity locally. He invited families at the meeting to Might Nights, a monthly fit night at...

Multi-agency shooter trainingLaw enforcement from the Arkansas Tech University Public Safety, Russellville Police Department, Arkansas State Police and Pope County Sheriff’s Department trained together Thursday morning on the ATU campus in an active shooter exercise with the assistance of 24 students from Tech’s emergency management program. The goal of the training is for agencies to work together to promote officer safety and mitigate any threats that might occur in an ...

Friendship pledges to end ‘R-word’Civic leaders and others showed up to lend support Thursday at the MiChild Enrichment Center for the eighth anniversary of World Down Syndrome Awareness Day (WDSAD). The center, located on Russell Road, also launched its inaugural observation of a national campaign — “R-word, Spread the Word to End the Word.” The campaign explains “the R-word is the word ‘retard(ed)’. Why does it hurt? The R-word hurts because it is exclusive. It’s offensive. ...

Barbs of racism, anti-Semitism in NY school clash SPRING VALLEY, N.Y. (AP) — School board meetings descend into shouting matches. Accusations of racism and anti-Semitism fly. Angry parents turn their backs on board members in a symbolic stand of disrespect. Tension in a suburban New York school district is rooted in an unusual dynamic: The families who send their children to public schools are mostly Hispanic and African-American. The school board is almost entirely made up of ultra-Orthodox ...

Chicago to close 54 schools to address $1B deficitCHICAGO (AP) — Tens of thousands of Chicago students, parents and teachers learned Thursday their schools were on a long-feared list of 54 the city plans to close in an effort to stabilize an educational system facing a huge budget shortfall. Mayor Rahm Emanuel says the closures are necessary because too many Chicago Public School buildings are half-empty, with 403,000 students in a system that has seats for more than 500,000. But opponents sa...

Health officials: 1 in 50 school kids have autism NEW YORK (AP) — A government survey of parents says 1 in 50 U.S. schoolchildren has autism, surpassing another federal estimate for the disorder. Health officials say the new number doesn’t mean autism is occurring more often. But it does suggest that doctors are diagnosing autism more frequently, especially in children with milder problems. The earlier government estimate of 1 in 88 comes from a study that many consider more rigorous. It look...

After decade of criticism, student grouping rises WASHINGTON (AP) — Teachers say they are grouping students of similar abilities with each other inside classrooms and schools are clustering pupils with like interests together — a practice once frowned upon — according to a review of federal education surveys. The Brookings Institution report released Monday shows a dramatic increase in both ability grouping and student tracking among fourth- and eighth-grade students. Those practices were onc...

Making a differenceEditor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series of stories that focuses on people who are making a difference in education in the River Valley. ATKINS — The Atkins School District is home to the Red Devils, a symbol that for many represents an adversary, but for the students and staff who go there every day, the school district is anything but. For many of the teachers and the students, it’s more than a building, a learning facility or a job ...

Pottsville principal: State title brought student body togetherPOTTSVILLE — When the basketball season began for high schools across the state, the Pottsville Apaches showcased a talented team with loads of potential, but no one knew just how high their ceiling was. “Many of the members of this basketball team are the same players who were on the football team that was a favorite for competing in the state championship,” Pottsville High School principal Jonathan Bradley said. “I always knew that we had a ...

No truth to RHS threat rumorsRumors circulated throughout Russellville on Friday concerning an altercation at the high school, which escalated after the appearance of police officers at the school. But those rumors, which grew to such exaggerated proportions as to claim that there were shots fired and knife fights at the school, were unfounded. “This is one of those cases where the rumors got way ahead of the facts,” Superintendent Randall Williams said. “Living in the ti...

Police respond to threat at RHSEditor's note — The original version of this story was inadvertently deleted by a staff member. We regret the error. The Russellville Police Department had extra officers on the campus of Russellville High School Friday following rumors of premeditated violence at the school. The response by RPD came after officers investigated rumors of threats of violence that would be carried out on the high school campus today, a statement from RPD Public ...

School board creates new job, reduces elsewhereThe Russellville School Board passed two noteworthy items at its meeting Tuesday— one that creates a job and another that will reduce jobs elsewhere in the school district. The school board approved a motion to create a communications specialist position within the district, that will oversee the district’s social media accounts and its websites, among other things. The position reflects the growing trend of hiring district-wide communications...

Ohio woman, 106, finally gets high school diploma COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A 106-year-old central Ohio woman who completed classes but didn’t graduate in a dispute over a book has received her high school diploma. The News Journal in Mansfield reported the Mount Vernon superintendent presented Reba Williams with the diploma Wednesday at her apartment in Columbus. She even got to wear a traditional graduation cap brought by the retired Mount Vernon English teacher who urged the school board to aw...

Students get big-rig trainingHECTOR — Young drivers have a better chance of survival on the road, after Southwestern Energy (SWN) of Conway provided defensive driver training Wednesday and today for students in grades 9-12. The “Alive@25” program is designed, but not limited to educating young drivers to deal with issues related to defensive driving while in the vicinity of 18-wheelers. “This is the first time Southwestern Energy has sponsored this program for our kids,” ...

RHS quiz bowl wins 6A West tournamentGREENWOOD — The Russellville High School quiz bowl team took top honors at the 6A West Regional tournament on Saturday, finished the day with a 5-1 record and earned a spot in the state tournament. Russellville got off to a shaky start with a opening-round loss to Lake Hamilton on the last question, 205-195. However, that shaky round would be the last of the day as the Cyclones then stormed their way to the title. The loss served as a wake-up ...

LA schools settle claims over lewd ’tasting games’ LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles school district will pay millions of dollars to settle claims and lawsuits filed by students and families from an elementary school where a third-grade teacher was accused of spoon-feeding children semen in what he called “tasting games,” lawyers in the cases said Tuesday. District officials did not reveal the total amount of the settlement, but attorney Raymond Boucher, who represents several Miramonte Eleme...